Sonus faber Chameleon speakers NEW

[miziq]

With the Chameleon speaker collection, Sonus faber brings all the iconic elements that the Vicenza based company is known for to a wider, contemporary audience.

More:

Mono and Stereo High-End Audio Magazine: Sonus faber Chameleon speakers NEW

[joey_v]

So what is this replacing?

[tompj]

Ouch...

[Masterlu]

Originally Posted by joey_v

So what is this replacing?

Your money!

[Capcom]

Originally Posted by joey_v

So what is this replacing?

I was thinking the Toy, but it looks like a whole new line...
Sonus Faber products

[esteban]

Originally Posted by tompj

Ouch...

X 2. From bad to worse... These look nothing like the Sonus fabers we admire and love! Even the Veneres are drop-dead gorgeous next to these generic-looking boxes... Do we need more Chinese-made Sf? How about a made-in-Italy line in-between the Veneres and the Olympicas?

"...a “handmade in Italy” craftsmanship approach to construction"

[esteban]

From the photos on the official Sonus faber website, it does seem that these are actually made in Italy (a close-up of the back panel makes this clear), so I do take one of my previous remarks back... But that begs the question, then: Why have two very similarly-priced lines, one made in China and one made in Italy? (the Veneres are actually more expensive, in fact, and seem to be marketed as the more "premium" product). Are they getting rid of the Venere and the Toy lines? (that makes three very similarly-priced product lines, then). Really confused as to what direction the brand is trying to aim for, but in all honesty I am not impressed at all by what I am seeing with the new line (at least judging from the photos).

[MasterLuJr]

Pass on those! I agree with others that it seems they're getting away from the beauty of Futura's, Aida's, Evo's, Strads/etc.

[Venere]

If I may apply an analogy to the auto industry, many modern companies feel the need to compete in every market segment. This leads a company like BMW to design and build a "car" like the X6M even though they may only sell twenty of them in the US and likely lose money on each of them. Similarly, Porsche now has two SUV lines when not that long ago that would have seemed unthinkable. But...its the profits made on the SUVs that allows them to continue to build 911 GT3 RSs. Not everyone can buy a pair of Amati Futuras. The Chameleon will probably sell well in Magnolia to folks who might have bought Polks or MLs. Its the way of modern corporations. Get used to it.

[esteban]

Originally Posted by Venere

If I may apply an analogy to the auto industry, many modern companies feel the need to compete in every market segment. This leads a company like BMW to design and build a "car" like the X6M even though they may only sell twenty of them in the US and likely lose money on each of them. Similarly, Porsche now has two SUV lines when not that long ago that would have seemed unthinkable. But...its the profits made on the SUVs that allows them to continue to build 911 GT3 RSs. Not everyone can buy a pair of Amati Futuras. The Chameleon will probably sell well in Magnolia to folks who might have bought Polks or MLs. Its the way of modern corporations. Get used to it.

Understood, but you do not see Ferrari trying to please every possible demographic, taste and budget. Although we may see that soon now that Di Montezemolo quit. I suppose a Ferrari SUV and an "entry level" model are not out of the question anymore. Call me old-fashioned, but I choose not to get used to any of this nonsense. There is a say in my country, which in Spanish reads "el que mucho abarca poco aprieta". Roughly translated, it means: "Jack of all trades, master of none", but it has so much more "feeling" and meaning in its original language...

I was at Magnolia today. They had the Olympica III's connected to a server which ONLY had mp3 files! Not a single FLAC or hi-res file. No other source was available. No CD player, no analog front-end... nothing. I asked the sales person there how many Sonus faber models they had moved since they opened the store here in South FL (at the end of November of last year). The answer was "none".

I'm not really sure we need yet another Polk or Martin Logan or Definitive Tech or B&W competitor. They do their own thing and they do it well. Sonus faber should focus on the same thing, in my opinion (that is, to do THEIR own thing). I used to feel a connection with the brand's values, heritage and principles that went beyond the musical and the financial. Little by little, that respect and admiration is being slowly but irrevocably eroded.